Grayslake sports dome wins preliminary approval

The concession view of plan for a new sports dome in Grayslake is shown here. (Handout, Erika Cinnamon)

For Lake County native Kevin Belcher, pitching his dream of creating a mega-indoor sports dome in Grayslake to the Village Board was the latest chapter in his lifelong passion for baseball.

"I was raised in Lake Forest and was fortunate to have had the chance to coach youth baseball clinics at Halas Hall, which was a whole lot of fun," said Belcher, 28, whose baseball career was ended by an injury during his sophomore year as a player at the University of Nebraska.

"We did our research and found there is a market for indoor baseball. And we realized we had to go big or not do it at all."

Indeed, at an estimated 180,000 square feet, Belcher's proposal to build an air-supported Power Alleys Sports Dome on Washington Street near the College of Lake County prompted Grayslake officials to make the unusual move of asking Belcher and his brother, Gregory Belcher, to share their preliminary plans with trustees before seeking approval from the Zoning Department.

In addition to two indoor fields that would be used primarily for youth baseball and adult softball, the estimated $4.3 million dome would feature a full-service restaurant with a bar, a training facility and a pro shop.

"Asking the sports dome founders to meet with the Village Board for a concept review is unique, but this isn't the kind of proposal we see routinely," Grayslake Mayor Rhett Taylor said.

Trustees expressed concern about the dome's architecture and requested further details on how the project would deal with runoff water and buffering for nearby residential neighborhoods, Taylor said.

Still, officials appeared overwhelmingly supportive of the project, Taylor said. After his presentation to the board, Belcher received the green light to move ahead through the approval process.

"The Village Board felt comfortable with the idea, and right now it's at the preliminary stage," Grayslake Zoning Officer Kirk Smith said.

Despite its proximity to the College of Lake County, officials at CLC declined to comment.

While Grayslake officials were emphatic that the dome would be privately owned and privately funded, a similar concept that debuted last year in Rosemont, The Dome at the Ballpark, was taxpayer-funded and is owned and operated by the village.

"From an architectural and engineering standpoint, the scope of a sports dome project is like no other," said Chris Beacom, president of the Illinois Baseball Academy and director of marketing and programs for The Dome at the Ballpark.

Beacom said the 140,000-square-foot Rosemont facility hosts youth baseball and softball games and tournaments as well as adult softball teams. The dome, adjacent to the Chicago Bandits outdoor stadium at Balmoral and Pearl streets, is also used by local baseball teams, including those at Oakton and Triton community colleges as well as Concordia and Roosevelt universities.

"I'm not sure what they have planned for Grayslake, but I have to believe there is plenty of business to go around," Beacom said.

Belcher said he was optimistic that once the Grayslake project was approved, he could an begin construction this fall with an estimated opening in spring of 2014.

"We were given a warm welcome in Grayslake," said Belcher. "We will address all the concerns they've expressed, and I think this will be a good partnership."